Hidden Hunters
by Wulfcub
Summary: Ruby had much more experience with fighting then others knew, and is a genius in her own right. She may be just what Remnant needs to escape the stalemate against the Grimm, but she won't be able to pull it off by herself. (No Pairings planned)


**Author's Note:** **I am so sorry for how delayed this has been, but I don't want to explain everything that caused the delay, so let's just say life and depression got in the way. It also wasn't helped by the loss of my laptop, which was my only way to post, since my phone REALLY doesn't like this site for some reason.**

**Also, I'll be trying to reply to any reviews on my stories, although I may not be the best at it, since I have a lot of stressful things going on right now. Constructive criticism is encouraged, and flames will be ignored. **

**Finally, if you have ideas such as weapon designs, powers, plot points, etc, just send me a pm. I love the idea of an audience with some input. I will credit people who have contributed, and people who gave me ideas, although I won't be telling people what the idea is, at least until it's actually revealed in story, to avoid spoilers. Also note that there isn't any guarantee that I'll use your idea, but if your idea inspires another one, I'll credit you for inspiration.**

**P.S: I still need a beta, and help would be appreciated.**

**Anyway, with that out of the way, I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth.**

"_Hello!" =_ Thoughts

"Hello!" = Speech

"Well, looks like this is going to be my last serious hunt for a while, kinda sucks, but I'll live, I guess."

The speaker, a young girl, looked around her room, with a vaguely annoyed expression on her face. Currently the girl, named Ruby Rose, was looking for her combat attire that she wore when she went out on her nightly hunts,

"Where is it, where is it, where is it…... There it is!" Ruby shouted excitedly, grabbing the bundle of clothes she was looking for, and then realized that both her sister and father were asleep, and that she technically shouldn't be up at this hour, and quieted down, face red with slight embarrassment at her outburst.

When she confirmed that both her sister and her father were still asleep, she proceeded to quickly change into her combat attire, discarding the worn pajamas she was wearing earlier.

"That's much better," she mumbled, glad to be out of her (admittedly very comfortable) pajamas, as they would be laughably ineffective for what she was about to do.

Her combat attire was composed of a long-sleeved black shirt with a black and red jacket with a hood, with several pockets and straps on the inside to store her various clips and weapons. They were accompanied with a pair of black pants with several pockets, and a black belt with pouches clipped to it, as well as a harness where she can store Crescent Rose, with a rose insignia as a belt buckle. The entire outfit had red trimming, and she wore a gothic-style cross-shaped necklace, a personal favorite of hers.

"Let's see, I've got Crescent Rose, ten clips of normal rounds, two clips of Lightning and Fire Dust rounds, three clip of Gravity dust ammunition, and several Fire, Lightning and Ice Dust Crystals, as well as my emergency field medical supplies." Ruby listed off, putting everything in the appropriate pockets and pouches, while clipping her scythe to her back and her medical supplies to her belt "Oh, and my pistol and throwing daggers, just in case of emergencies. Along with my Scroll, obviously."

As she packed away the last items, she made her way to her window and pried it open. Stepping outside, she proceeded to make her way to the nearby forest, hoping to find her target.

As she was walking, she started to list off what she knew about her target for that night, pulling out her Scroll to check the details

"Alright, the bio said that I'm looking for a King Taijitu, hypothesized as at least an Old Grimm, so it's going to be more intelligent than most. Thankfully it's not an Elder or Ancient Grimm, that would be a problem. Pure black in coloring, with several bone plates. No other details available. Reward, 30,000 lien.

Ruby raised an eyebrow at that. It isn't often that a bounty is posted for a Grimm when barely anything is known about it. Usually there's at least a broad description, even if it's not particularly detailed, with its basic behaviors and any unique features or behaviors to be wary of. But this one? With only two physical details known, both being extremely common features among Grimm in general, and not even the age or its basic behaviors known, she was essentially going in completely blind, with only her previous knowledge and experience backing her up. Even though Ruby could be considered reckless, she still liked having a general idea of what she was facing.

"_Should I turn back? It's not like I'm obligated to do this, and I could always find an easier target. _Ruby thought to herself, _"Besides, why is it on here anyways? Usually when a bounty for a Grimm is posted, plenty of information is known about it. But with this guy, everyone is essentially going in blind. And that bounty is pretty big too, but they barely know what color it's scales are? What did it do to get such a high bounty if it's so obscure?_

Ruby checked her scroll again as she neared the edge of the forest to check, and her eyebrows shot up at answer.

Assumed Kill Count: 150 Huntsman/Huntresses

"_That's a… worrying large kill count, especially concerning that they were fully trained Hunters. It's an isolated Grimm too, not one that lives in a populated area. Combine that with the fact that Patch is just so out of the way that most wouldn't even try to take the bounty, that means either this thing has been killing tons of Hunters without people really noticing, which is highly unlikely, given its bounty, or its only recently arrived on Patch. Which since Patch is an island, that means this thing more intelligent than normal, since King Taijitu normally avoid water, since they can't swim. Fighting this thing is starting to seem more and more like a terrible idea."_

Yet even as the thought ran through Ruby's head, she knew that she would still try and take it down. It was so close to the village that she would feel sick if she let something like this go, especially given the damage it could cause if left alone. She just knew she couldn't let this go.

"(Sigh), let's hope this doesn't go terribly." she said to herself softly, as she made her way through the treeline.

_A few hours later…_

"_Where the hell is this damn thing?."_

This was the thought that passed through Ruby's head as she rested in a nearby tree. It's been hours and she hasn't even found a trace of the Grimm she's hunting. She stumbled across a few packs of Beowolves that she took out with little trouble, and even a Deathstalker, which she avoided, since they're relatively tough and she wanted to save her energy.

"_I've looked all over the forest, and I still can't find it, is it hiding somewhere?" _Ruby thought to herself, irritated at her inability to find her target, _"I mean, it's not a small forest, but still, I should be able to find a King Taijitu, it isn't like they're small or sneaky, they're massive snakes!"_

As she looked over the clearing she was next too, she noted her surroundings. The trees thinned out at certain points, creating natural clearings where the Grimm tended to congregate. But there wasn't a single Grimm in the area, which was unusual. As Ruby looked over the surrounding, noting a small hill, a few trees, and some bushes, she became aware of another oddity.

"_There's no wildlife here,'' she_ thought to herself, _in a place that's completely free from Grimm, there should be at least something here, but it's just me. Why?"_

Ruby knew that Grimm didn't usually target animals, they exclusively targeted people. But the feelings of animosity they gave off cause any nearby animals to steer clear of them, due to their presence. It was one of the first things her uncle taught her, since its a surefire sign that Grimm are in the area.

As Ruby was thinking, she noticed some movement in from the corner of her eye, coming from the bushes she noticed earlier. As she watched a few squirrels ran out from under them to the edge of the clearing, disappearing into the trees. As she raised an eyebrow at the seemingly random event, slightly relieved she was incorrect with her earlier observations, she noticed the nearby hill was a slightly off color, even accounting for discoloration due to the lack of light.

As she stared at the hill, curiosity peaked, she noticed it was shifting in multiple directions. The small hill uncoiled itself, showing that it wasn't a hill at all, instead being a King Taijitu, with pure black scales and several bone plates

"_Well, that explains it,"_ Ruby thought as she readied her scythe, the mechanism's shifting as she readied herself for a fight, eyes narrowing, _"it was here the entire time. Looking back it was kind of obvious, to be honest."_

But as Ruby was about to leap at the Grimm, she noticed its head was rising, and was looking straight at the tree she was hiding in, its red eyes gleaming with malice. As she tensed, the head was joined by another, both staring directly at her.

As more and more heads rose from their resting places, one thought went through her head.

"_I may be in a bit over my head here," _she thought, as her body tensed, ready to dash at the first sign of movement, grip tightening on her scythe.

Then the eight heads lunged at her in unison, and she leapt out of the tree, with the Grimm in hot pursuit.

**And that's the first chapter! I know its a bit short, but I felt that was a good place to end it. If you're wondering why Ruby isn't wearing her cloak, its because if she came across anyone she knew, the cloak would be a dead giveaway of who she is. It is still apart of her normal outfit.**

**I'll admit, I don't quite feel like this chapter is very good. I feel like its a bit forced in some areas, but I wanted to get something out since you've all been waiting patiently. If nothing big comes up, I should have the next chapter out in a week or two. I'm aiming for at least a chapter every two weeks, one every week if I can manage it.**

**Hope you like the chapter, and I'll see you guys soon!**

**-Wulfcub.**


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